Book contents
- Reviews
- The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species
- The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Nature and Nurture
- 2 Across the Animal Kingdom
- 3 Chimpanzees and Bonobos
- 4 Nomads of War and Peace I
- 5 Nomads of War and Peace II
- 6 The Last Common Ancestor and Beyond
- 7 Janus-Faced
- 8 Feedback Loops
- Conclusion
- Appendix: Intergroup Lethal Conflict and Group Hunting across Species
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - Nomads of War and Peace II
The Ethnography of Hunter-Gatherers
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 October 2026
Book contents
- Reviews
- The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species
- The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species
- Copyright page
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Nature and Nurture
- 2 Across the Animal Kingdom
- 3 Chimpanzees and Bonobos
- 4 Nomads of War and Peace I
- 5 Nomads of War and Peace II
- 6 The Last Common Ancestor and Beyond
- 7 Janus-Faced
- 8 Feedback Loops
- Conclusion
- Appendix: Intergroup Lethal Conflict and Group Hunting across Species
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter examines patterns of intergroup lethal conflict and peaceful cooperation among nomadic hunter-gatherers based on comparative, cross-cultural ethnographic data. It assesses the validity of the ‘deep roots’ and ‘shallow roots’ of war theses, analysing peaceful practices such as the use of messengers; conflict prevention, management, and resolution; truce- and peace-making; deterrence signalling; alliance formation; and peacetime espionage, as well as networks of exchange. Drawing on a carefully selected sample of nomadic foragers who had no contact with non-forager societies, the chapter shows that nomadic hunter-gatherers both waged war and developed a large repertoire of diplomatic practices to sustain peaceful intergroup cooperation.
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- The Origins of War and Peace in the Human Species , pp. 275 - 302Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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